Occasional fasting may help you live longer

Washington: Intermittent fasting may actually help people live longer and healthier, says a study.

Fasting in mice has been shown to extend lifespan and to improve age-related diseases.

“We found that intermittent fasting caused a slight increase in SIRT3, a well-known gene that promotes longevity and is involved in protective cell responses,” said Michael Guo, a student at Harvard Medical School.

The SIRT3 gene encodes a protein also called SIRT3 that belongs to a class of proteins known as sirtuins.